1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to material and waste transportation, in particular including an improved routine for delivery of newsprint and the removal of waste paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Transportation of goods by road is normally conducted using large articulated lorries having a trailer hauled by a tractor unit. Typically, having delivered its load, the lorry returns to its home depot empty. This is a waste of driver and vehicle time, being a period of zero productivity, and is also a waste of fuel, thus raising environmental concerns. The government is keen to encourage hauliers to use full trailers on the return leg of each journey. However, whilst being an admirable aim, it is, in practice, difficult to achieve, for several reasons. Products made by the concern to whom the delivery was made may not require transportation of its own goods in the direction of the lorry""s home depot. Furthermore, trailers may be designed specifically for transporting a certain type of product and are not readily adaptable to carrying other goods.
In the newsprint industry, reels of newsprint are typically delivered to a printing works on a trailer with fabric side curtains carried upon a steel frame, typically known as a xe2x80x9cTautlinerxe2x80x9d. Printing works produce a great deal of waste paper. Typically, on a continuous basis as it is produced, a compactor unit compresses waste paper into a 20 foot long bin. Typically, two bins are transported for disposal or recycling upon a single trailer. The trailer will be different from that used to deliver the newsprint. Each bin in turn must be mounted upon and demounted from the trailer using a hook lift vehicle before the contents can be disposed of. The system is generally similar to that in our copending application GB 2 307 895A. This procedure is unduly time consuming involving many movements of bins. This additionally produces a considerable amount of noise.
It is with these problems in mind, particularly with reference to the newsprint industry, that the present invention has been devised.
According to the present invention, there is provided, in a first aspect, a material delivery and waste collection system for a premises; the system comprising (i) providing at least two, wheeled, enclosed elongate material-carrying containers each having a floor, walls, a roof and an access door mounted within a frame at the rear of the container; (ii) providing the premises with a delivery bay for transfer of materials from the rear of a first container into the premises; and (iii) providing the premises with at least one waste collection bay; wherein the waste collection bay includes a compactor unit having an input adapted to receive waste material and an output for expulsion of the waste material; the system comprising mutually cooperating connecting means provided on the compactor units and on the rear of the second container; the connecting means providing a substantially rigid connection between the output of the compactor unit and the container.
Preferably, the wheeled container is in the form of a trailer of an articulated lorry.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a trailer for an articulated lorry adapted for use in the system described above. The trailer comprises an enclosed elongate material-carrying container having a floor, walls, a roof and an access door mounted within a frame at the rear of the trailer; wherein the interior surfaces of the walls and roof are substantially flat and uninterrupted and the floor includes a plurality of longitudinally extending guide tracks; wherein further, the rear of the trailer comprises cooperative means for connecting the trailer to the output of a compactor unit. The trailer further comprises means for discharging waste material from the interior of the container.
Typically, the container is mounted at the rear of the trailer upon a chassis for pivotal movement with respect thereto. Alternatively, the container may include a tipping ram to thereby discharge the contents.
Preferably, the access door is a vertically slidable door. The frame of the door may be in the form of an external outwardly opening door. Alternatively, there may be a further external rear door provided to the trailer.
The above and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in further detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.